When we want to emphasize the highest degree of a quality in Spanish, we often use the Spanish superlative suffix –ísimo. This ending allows us to express that something or someone possesses a quality to an extreme level. It’s similar in meaning to English expressions like very, extremely, or super. For example, bello means beautiful, but bellísimo means extremely beautiful.

Spanish Superlative Suffix -ísimo

The Spanish superlative suffix –ísimo is added to adjectives to intensify their meaning. However, it is not as simple as just adding –ísimo to any word. Depending on the adjective’s ending, some spelling changes might occur. For example:

  • If the adjective ends in –o or –e, drop the final –o or –e and add –ísimo (for masculine singular). Please note that –ísimo should agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to:
    • bueno → buenísimo (extremely good), buenísima, buenísimos, buenísimas.
    • grande → grandísimo (extremely big), grandísima, grandísimos, grandísimas.
  • If the adjective ends in a consonant, drop the final consonant and add –bilísimo (for masculine singular). Please note that –ísimo should agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to:
    • fácil → facilísimo (extremely kind), facilísima, facilísimos, facilísimas.
  • If the adjective ends in –ble, change it to –bilísimo (for masculine singular). Please note that –ísimo should agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to:
    • amable → amabilísimo (extremely kind), amabilísima, amabilísimos, amabilísimas.
  • If the adjective ends in –co or –go, change spelling to keep pronunciation. Please note that –ísimo should agree in gender and number with the noun it refers to:
    • –co > –quísimo (for masculine singular). : rico → riquísimo (extremely rich), riquísima, riquísimos, riquísimas.
    • –go > –guísimo (for masculine singular). : largo → larguísimo (extremely long), larguísima, larguísimos, larguísimas.

Summary

endingadjective-ísimo
–o
–e		bueno
grande		buenísimo
grandísimo
consonantfácilbuenísimo
–bleamableamabilísimo
–co
–go		rico
largo		riquísimo
larguísimo

Don’t forget that adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they refer to.

Su camisa está limpísima. ¿La acaba de estrenar?

Her blouse is extremely clean. Has she worn it for the first time?

Sus habitaciones son grandísimas. Parece que es un hotel.

Their bedrooms are extremely big. It looks like a hotel.

El examen de matemáticas fue dificilísimo. Casi nadie lo aprobó.

The math exam was extremely difficult. Almost no one passed it.

María es simpatiquísima; siempre ayuda a todos con una sonrisa.

María is extremely nice; she always helps everyone with a smile.

Los informes fueron larguísimos, pero al final valieron la pena.

The reports were extremely long, but in the end, they was worth it.

When to Use the Spanish Superlative Suffix -ísimo

The Spanish superlative suffix –ísimo is used in informal speech and writing when you want to sound expressive or emotional. Instead of saying muy malo (very bad), you can say malísimo (extremely bad) for greater emphasis.

However, it is not used with every adjective. You should mainly use it with adjectives that describe strong qualities like malo, alto, bueno, bonito, difícil,…

Juan es malísimo en matemáticas. ¿Qué tal si le ayudamos con sus deberes?

Juan is extremely bad at math. How about helping him with his homework?

Tu primo es altísimo. ¿Juega al baloncesto en el colegio?

Your cousin is extremely tall. Does he play basketball at school?

Exercises

The Spanish superlative suffix –ísimo is a fun and expressive way to give adjectives a stronger meaning. It helps you sound more natural and emotional in Spanish conversations. With a bit of practice, you will start using it automatically to add emphasis to your speech. Now let’s do some exercises to practice the Spanish superlative suffix –ísimo.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Categorized in:

GrammarAdjectives